1. Let the weepers weep as they please,
And the mounted continue their journey afoot,

2. And the foolish persist in their folly,
And the heedless continue heedless.

3. But if you devote yourself to poetry one day,
Select its fruits, not the chaff.

4. Truly, Ahmad is a noble soul,
Generous and ever ready to help.

5. The horseman of glory was never obscure;
He rode glory’s steed both rough and smooth.

6. His gifts would flow if he was asked for help,
And his sword was ready if enemies schemed.

7. Glory has preoccupied his heart and hands,
While the rhymes are busy praising him.

8. Motives both facilitated and complicated him,
Mingled with defect but also great virtues.

9. We never found them blameworthy,
Though often obscure and neglected.

10. He continued as a stranger, led astray
When nobles acted foolishly.

11. O noble Sir, whose hands never refrain
From aiding us, but remain outstretched.

12. Known to us, though obscure and unknown to him,
Blessings shine from him, clearly etched.

13. God and the angels have borne witness—
An accepted and confirmed testimony—

14. That you are the ruler endowed with wisdom,
Who was granted authority and leadership.

15. Your views have captured the essence of truth.
What great schemes have been born from them!

16. Baghdad has worn the crown of your pride,
And the clothes of your splendor, polished and refined.

17. May God make your rule enduring,
So every calamity after it will fade away.

18. The subjects are safeguarded by its protection,
And the grazing lands are open and flowing with bounty.

19. The blood there will remain protected,
And the livelihood of its people assured.

20. Please forgive me for prolonging overly,
Yet praise cannot do justice to your glory.

21. My spirit finds peace every day
In the dwelling whose comfort I cherish.

22. There God has granted me well-being,
And undone the knots of affliction that bind me,

23. After exertion which has tested me sorely,
Though its burdens cannot compare.

24. And illness which has wasted my soul,
Spread in my body its ache and frailty.

25. Oh, would that my soul had been taken
Before it by death or its envoy!

26. My lord, my aid, my companion and vizier—
Fate has tested me harshly since I lost him.

27. He left me naught but a heart rending in two,
As death marched forth with its steed and soldiers.

28. To you I bring my laments, for sorrows
That harass my mind, though reasonable.

29. Some of them: a party of yours have pained
My heart, and it aches from their arrows.

30. Sleep brings me no comfort, only sorrow,
My regrets therein beyond consolation.

31. Daily you send fears to startle me,
Approaching where I had thought myself secure.

32. By God I seek refuge, by rights owed me,
By your kindness which I hope you’ll uphold.

33. Do not return me to the darkness of grief
And the morals of those vile and disgraceful.

34. Especially in your inviolable month,
Forbidden by God from all wrong and evil.

35. It befits the guardian of his subjects
That no defect taints what he rules.

36. By my life, you are he, whose virtues
Were never concealed or withheld.

37. If they seek blood, it is not freely spilled,
And gifts flow freely from their open hands.

38. You will find in them no ungracious requests,
Nor appointment accepted and then refused.

39. Do not oppose the hopes that sustain my life,
Lest tomorrow you unleash your floods.

40. While the soul hopes your rule will grant it
A home prosperous and bustling with people,

41. And anticipates your fulfillment of promises,
Long-awaited prizes you will liberate.

42. When the messenger came with your decree
Resembling death itself or its deliverer,

43. Expelling it forcefully from a place
Where contentment flourished in my dwelling,

44. Alas my soul! What hope remains for one who sought you?
Can it be you have slain it with your sword?

45. God forbid! It sees in you the rising
Of its star, not the setting sun.

46. It is not the way of the hoped-for prince
To oppress one hoping he would assist him.

47. If your right hand does not protect me,
I will surely be devoured, no doubt.

48. So let the hand of the prince connect me
With ties that will protect me from those knots.

49. How often have you, by your help, enabled it
To escape the claws of fate bared against it!

50. How often has your effort brought about
What my soul aspired to attain!